There are many types of articles that include a strap to be worn about a part of the body which may be generically termed lanyards and may include loop-like elements worn about the neck or the wrist and even belts worn about the waist. In many cases, these lanyards are fitted with some sort of a mounting element such that another article may be attached to the strap. For example, identification cards may be affixed to lanyards such as belts or loops worn about the neck. Sports officials frequently will attach whistles to loops worn about the wrist.
While such uses of lanyards are advantageous, they are not without their drawbacks. For example, a worker around machinery and wearing an identification card as is a fairly common occurrence attached either to a belt or to a loop worn about the neck can be severely injured if the loose identification card attached lanyard becomes caught in the machinery and pull the worker into the machinery. Similarly, unruly fans at sporting events might grab a sport official's whistle or the like such that injury could occur to the sports official if he could not break away from the fan.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the above problems.